So to break up the monotony of my 30 days of outfits…I thought to share with all of you this cute and easy DIY.

I first saw this on Ramblings from the Sunshine State, where Wendy shared her how-to for a 6 Scoop T-Shirt for her daughter’s ice-cream-themed 6th birthday party.

I loved the idea of adding brightly-colored quilting fabric to a t-shirt!

I’m always dreaming of screenprinting designs into tees…The colors! The vibrant blacks! The limitless designs!…But face it, screenprinting ONE t-shirt (even with a Yudu) is a huge time commitment. There isn’t much point if you’re just going to make one.

Fabric paint I don’t like very much, as even the “soft” fabric paint adds stiffness to the shirt, and you can’t get very crisp lines.

The iron-on transfers they sell at the sewing store also leave a distinct and ugly “sheen” to them…it’s obvious you’ve stuck something on your shirt. No thanks.

But applique?! Never thought of that!

Now the world is my oyster…or at least, the design possibilities are limitless when you start to think of re-creating your favorite screened t-shirt design with cutouts of bright fabric and patterns. The edges to the appliques are crisp, and the applying is so easy! (Plus it’s a great way to experiment with color and pattern…and use up the scraps of fabric you may have laying around in your scrap bag.)

You Need:

*a t-shirt (I originally was going to use the white one above, and changed my mind after I took the photo)
*brightly-colored fabric for your design (I picked out some quilter’s fat quarters at my local Jo-Ann Fabrics, paying attention to the coordination of the patterns and prints)
*black fabric for your details (mine is a woven lightweight cotton suiting)

1. Make a pattern for your ice cream cones. I made one that I used for each scoop, one for the cherry, one for the chocolate sauce, one for the ice cream cone, and one for the smile.

2. Place your pattern on your fabric (folded over). Trace and cut 2 pieces for each part of the ice creams, and one piece for the smile.

3. Follow the instructions for fusing the pieces to the front of your shirt. (Usually sticking the applique onto the sticky front, peeling off the back, pressing to the shirt, and ironing for 15 – 30 seconds, applying pressure and making a few passes. The instructions said to stick the entire piece of fabric onto the sticky front of the web and cutting through both layers just once…I don’t think it really matters how you do it.)

4. (Optional) To make your creation more “polished,” you could go over the edges of each fabric piece in a satin stitch (closely-spaced zigzag stitch on your machine), in black embroidery thread. (I didn’t because I was feeling lazy.) This will make your tee look (from a distance) like a cartoony ice cream face, without all the hassle of the screenprinting!

But even without the outlining, it looks pretty cute as is!

Cool down on a hot summer’s day quickly in this…or just have a sweet sense of humor while relaxing at home.

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